Author: Nissen
Date: 2006-08-16 10:01
A few comments to some of the above posters:
In my case, playing a Rigoutat Symphony, the intake is Ø4 mm, and the opening of staples I see (I see a lot of different brands) are between 4.3-5.2. It could very well be that other brands of oboes have a larger "intake" than Rigoutat, providing for a more unobstructed flow.
Could be interesting with a few measurements from you guys: take fx. a piece of aluminum foil, insert and compress it so you get an imprint of the intake at the bottom of the reed socket. Measure it with a caliper. It's not overly precise, but it's a start.
The theory that a deliberate gap between bottom of staple and oboe is a plus in some cases I find difficult to believe applies to the oboe as well. My own, and fellow oboists experience with pulling out a reed, to adjust pitch (if you can't manage to do it with embochure alone) is, it always degrades performance. Some notes start to feel unstable, already by pulling out only 1 mm.
I agree, musical instruments are not about perfect airflow alone, like for a Boeing 747, but the acoustics or wawes, initiated in the reed must be influenced by an edge in some way.
I realise that oboe companies must have thought about this, and maybe the staple itself has to expand to a certain diameter, for a reed to work at all. The flow into the oboe is by comparison less important.
But I want to make sure. Even the smallest changes to a reed, staple design etc. has an impact. Why shouldn't a clearly visible obstruction so close to the blades be of importance?
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